SPT is a committed Community Planning Partner and we work in partnership to deliver local and national outcomes and to ensure we make a positive contribution to the Local Outcome Improvement Plans in each of our constituent council areas.

Community Planning Partnerships regularly seek to identify the views of local residents to identify local priorities and inform the development of the community plan and other plans and strategies.

Local authorities have the overall responsibility on Community Planning and help partner agencies to work together.

There are five statutory partners:

• NHS Boards
• Strathclyde Police
• Strathclyde Fire and Rescue
• Scottish Enterpise
• Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT)

Other (non statutory) partners can include:

• Scottish Water
• Local Community Voluntary Organisations
• Scottish Natural Heritage
• Local Community Groups (or umbrella organisations)

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 helps to empower community groups through the ownership of land and buildings and by strengthening their voices in the decisions that matter to them. Under the provisions of the Act, community groups can submit Participation requests and Asset Transfer requests to public service authorities including SPT. Details of how to submit requests and the guidance governing these is set out below.

Participation Requests

Part 3 of the Community Empowerment Act 2015 enables communities to request to participate in decisions and processes which are aimed at improving outcomes.
Read The Participation Request (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.

Guidance

The Scottish Government has prepared participation request guidance for both public service authorities and community bodies to use. Public service authorities are required to follow guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers in carrying out their functions in relation to participation requests.

Download a copy of the SPT Participation Request form.

Received Participation Requests

List of Participation Requests:

Applicant Name: Arran Community & Voluntary Service

ACVS made a request to work collaboratively with SPT. ACVS notes the outcomes that they seek to achieve are:

• the ongoing coordination of journeys and as a result increased usage and ease of access to a local service;
• Improving the coordination, awareness and accessibility of the service which would result in the increased wellbeing of individuals through a reduction in social/rural isolation;
• enhance availability to those recognised as facing socio-economic and other disadvantages thus reducing inequalities.

Participation Request Response: Decision Notice

Asset Transfer

Part 5 of the Community Empowerment Act 2015 introduces a right for community bodies to make requests to all local authorities, Scottish Ministers and a range of public bodies for any land or buildings they feel they could make better use of. They can request ownership, lease or other rights as they wish.

The public authorities must transparently assess requests against a specified list of criteria, laid out in the Act, and agree the request unless there are reasonable grounds for refusal.

Should such a request be refused, the community group have a right to appeal or to ask for a review of that decision. The Scottish Government is currently recruiting a pool of candidates to be called upon to assist with reviews and/or appeals, for more information or to be added to the pool of candidates please contact: AssetTransferGuidance@gov.scot

Guidance

The Scottish Government has developed asset transfer guidance for relevant authorities and community bodies:

• Asset transfer guidance for relevant authorities
• Asset transfer guidance for community transfer bodies
• Summary guide to asset transfer

A copy of the SPT Asset Transfer Request Form can be found here.

Participation and Asset Transfer Request forms should be submitted to:
enquiry@spt.co.uk

Participation & Asset Transfer Annual Reports

As a public service authority, SPT is required to produce annual reports setting out details of the number of Participation and Asset Transfer requests it has received and processed in the financial year. The reports for 2022/23 are attached below:

• Asset Transfer Requests Annual Report 2023-24
• Community Participation Requests Annual Report 2023-24

SPT Land & Property Holdings

In line with the provisions of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, the following provides detail of SPT land and property holdings. This list will be updated on a quarterly basis.

Please direct any enquiries to: enquiry@spt.co.uk or to

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
131 St. Vincent Street
Glasgow G2 5JF